The Montgomery Cougars will venture away from home to square off against the South Hunterdon Eagles at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Montgomery has struggled recently with four defeats in a row, while South Hunterdon will arrive with three straight wins.
On Tuesday, Montgomery didn't have quite enough to beat Rutgers Prep and fell 4-3.
Ryane Riddell was cooking despite her team's loss, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. Grace Gandolfo also deserves some recognition as she hit her first triple of the season.
Meanwhile, South Hunterdon beat Belvidere 8-5 on Tuesday.
Elsie Scheetz was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and three unearned) runs off eight hits (and not a single walk). She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Anika Balog, who went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, five RBI, and one double. Those five RBI gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Kiera Craven, who went 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
South Hunterdon hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least four batters in three consecutive contests.
South Hunterdon's record now sits at 8-4. As for Montgomery, their loss dropped their record down to 8-8.
South Hunterdon's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Montgomery has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.2 hits per game. It's a different story for South Hunterdon, though, as they've been averaging 8.8 hits. Given Montgomery's sizable advantage in that area, the Eagles will need to find a way to close that gap.
Montgomery suffered a grim 16-8 defeat to South Hunterdon when the teams last played two weeks ago. Can the Cougars avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
